LUFFA 



LTI'lNl'S 



949 



acutAngTila, Roxbg. [L. futhhi, Cav.). Sing-kwa of 

 Chiiit^se. Fig. 13'J^l. Lv8. rounded, scarcely lobed, vi'i-y 

 coarsely toothed : ovary lU-riV>bed, ripening into a 

 strongly ribbed fruit. Tropics. Gt. 48, p. 130. L.H.B. 



LUfSIA (after Don Luis de Torres, of 

 whose personality little is kno\vn). Or- 

 cjHddce(e. (_'uri(.ius epiphytic herbs, with 

 simple or branched erect stems, bearing 

 alternate, elongated, fleshy-terete Ivs. : lis. 

 sessile, on short lateral spikes; sepals and 

 petioles sub-similar, connivent or half- 

 spreading; lal)ellum adnata to the colunin, 

 somewhat concave, with small lateral 

 lobes and a large, spreading, entire or bi- 

 fid middle lobe; column short; pollinia 2, 

 on a broad, short pedicel. About 10 spe- 

 cies. These plants are rarely cult. They - _ 

 grow w'cll in any warm vi- intermediate 

 house. 



tSres, Blume. Spike few-fid.: lateral 

 sepals narrower than dorsal, which is 

 .similar to the petals: labellum bi-auriculate, oblojig- 

 sulcate, apex bitid. 



L. Ures, Lindl.^Sarcautluis toretifolius. 



Heinkic'H Hasselbkino. 



LTJNAEIA ( Luna, Latin for moon; name referring to 

 the silvery white partition of the large i>ods). C'riicif- 

 erw. MooNwoRT. Honesty. Two herbs of Europe and 

 W. Asia, both cult, in old gardens. Lvs. rather large, 

 simple, broad or more or less cordate: lis. yuirple, in 

 terminal racemes or panicles, rather large and showy: 

 fr. stalked in the calyx, liecoming a very large, flat, disk- 

 shaped silicle, with deciduous valves and a thin, per- 

 sistent septum: seeds winged, 2-4 in each compartment. 

 The plants are easy of cultivation under any ordinary 

 garden conditions. They are interesting for their showy 

 Hs.jbut are grown mostly for their great flat pods, which 

 are used in winter bouquets. They are called " Honesty ' 



because the seeds can be seen through the pods. Prrip. 

 by seeds; or the second species rarely by division. The 

 sijecies sometimes escape from gardens. 

 Annua, Linn. (i. (/ic'hji/.?, Mixmch). Fig. 1324. Loose- 



1323. Luffa acutangula (X 1-il). 



hairy iihmt, ])^.,-2/2 ft. tall, branching as it matures: 

 lvs. somewhat cordate or hallierd-cordate, coarsely and 

 irregularly toothed, stalked : fls. numerous, pink-purple, 

 fragrant, in late spring or early summer: pods about 

 2 in. long and somcwh.-it narrower, very flat, rounded 

 at the ends, tipped ^vith the i>ersistent style. Europe. 

 K. H. ]y.')7, p. 30. — Frequent in old-fashioned gardens. 

 There is a recent form witlt handsomely variegate<l 

 lvs.; also a white-flowered form. Annual and biennial, 

 rediviva, Linn. Differs from the last in being per- 

 ennial, the fls. smaller and lighter colored (often gray- 

 ish purple), and the pod elliptic or lance-elliptic, ami 

 tapering to either end. Europe. — Less common and less 

 valuable thtm the other. l_ yL. B. 



LUNGWORT. Mn-li'vsid. 



LUPlNUS (fr 



1322. Lucuma Rivicoa, var. aneustiloUa (X 



Latin lfi]n(.^, a wolf ; because a 

 ci-op of Lupines was supposed 

 to destroy fertility). Jjegumi- 

 iiii.^ir. Li'PlNK. A group of 

 ai)out SO species mostly confined 

 to western N. America, a few 

 growing in eastern N. America 

 and in the Mediterranean region. 

 Most are annuals or herbaceous 

 perennials, one spiecies in cult, 

 being shrubby. All are showy 

 plants with conspicuous flowers 

 in terminal racemes, those of 

 tlie species in cult, being mostly 

 \'erticillate. The flowers are 

 blue, white or yellow, or a union 

 of tliese, papilionaceous and 

 free-blooming. All are of easy 

 cult, ill any garden soil, except 

 that they are said not to suc- 

 ceed in soil containing lime. 

 They are adapted to borders 

 in masses, and to all places 

 in which low -growing showy 

 herbs would be found. Some 

 make good bedding plants, 

 others cut-flowers. They are 

 )iropagated by seed, the peren- 

 nials also by division. They do 

 not bear transplanting when 

 once established, hence it is 

 recommended to sow seed where 

 the plants are finally desired. 

 A few species are of value eco- 

 n nnc illy for soiling or plowing 

 ui lei Leaves usually digitate, 

 with -1.5 entire leaflets: flow- 

 ( IS with calyx deeply bilabiate. 

 ] tjothed. unequal; corolla with 

 simple erect, broadly ovate stan- 

 dard, having strongly reflexed 

 sides wings united at the apex 

 and enclosing the keel ; stamens 



